Tale Xvii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BBCCDDEFGGHHIIEFJJKK LLMMNNKKO BBPPQQEERRDDSSTTUUVV TTWWX DDYYKKZZA2A2B2B2C2C2 JJD2E2F2F2G2G2ZZEE H2 I2I2J2J2K2K2L2L2M2M2 ZZN2SO2O2Z BRRBBMMZP2 ZZZG2G2J2J2F2F2Q2Q2R 2R2S2 RRJJZZT2T2PPU2U2Z ZZV2V2K2K2W2 X2X2EEVVU2U2R2R2ZZY2 Y2JJZZCCZZM2M2Z2 E RA3B3B3C3C3D3D3E3 F3F3E3H2RESENTMENT | A |
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Females there are of unsuspicious mind | B |
Easy and soft and credulous and kind | B |
Who when offended for the twentieth time | C |
Will hear the offender and forgive the crime | C |
And there are others whom like these to cheat | D |
Asks but the humblest efforts of deceit | D |
But they once injured feel a strong disdain | E |
And seldom pardoning never trust again | F |
Urged by religion they forgive but yet | G |
Guard the warm heart and never more forget | G |
Those are like wax apply them to the fire | H |
Melting they take th' impressions you desire | H |
Easy to mould and fashion as you please | I |
And again moulded with an equal ease | I |
Like smelted iron these the forms retain | E |
But once impress'd will never melt again | F |
A busy port a serious Merchant made | J |
His chosen place to recommence his trade | J |
And brought his Lady who their children dead | K |
Their native seat of recent sorrow fled | K |
The husband duly on the quay was seen | L |
The wife at home became at length serene | L |
There in short time the social couple grew | M |
With all acquainted friendly with a few | M |
When the good lady by disease assail'd | N |
In vain resisted hope and science fail'd | N |
Then spoke the female friends by pity led | K |
'Poor merchant Paul what think ye will he wed | K |
A quiet easy kind religious man | O |
Thus can he rest I wonder if he can ' | - |
He too as grief subsided in his mind | B |
Gave place to notions of congenial kind | B |
Grave was the man as we have told before | P |
His years were forty he might pass for more | P |
Composed his features were his stature low | Q |
His air important and his motion slow | Q |
His dress became him it was neat and plain | E |
The colour purple and without a stain | E |
His words were few and special was his care | R |
In simplest terms his purpose to declare | R |
A man more civil sober and discreet | D |
More grave and corteous you could seldom meet | D |
Though frugal he yet sumptuous was his board | S |
As if to prove how much he could afford | S |
For though reserved himself he loved to see | T |
His table plenteous and his neighbours free | T |
Among these friends he sat in solemn style | U |
And rarely soften'd to a sober smile | U |
For this observant friends their reason gave | V |
'Concerns so vast would make the idlest grave | V |
And for such man to be of language free | T |
Would seem incongruous as a singing tree | T |
Trees have their music but the birds they shield | W |
The pleasing tribute for protection yield | W |
Each ample tree the tuneful choir defends | X |
As this rich merchant cheers his happy friends ' | - |
In the same town it was his chance to meet | D |
A gentle Lady with a mind discreet | D |
Neither in life's decline nor bloom of youth | Y |
One famed for maiden modesty and truth | Y |
By nature cool in pious habits bred | K |
She look'd on lovers with a virgin's dread | K |
Deceivers rakes and libertines were they | Z |
And harmless beauty their pursuit and prey | Z |
As bad as giants in the ancient times | A2 |
Were modern lovers and the same their crimes | A2 |
Soon as she heard of her all conquering charms | B2 |
At once she fled to her defensive arms | B2 |
Conn'd o'er the tales her maiden aunt had told | C2 |
And statue like was motionless and cold | C2 |
From prayer of love like that Pygmalion pray'd | J |
Ere the hard stone became the yielding maid | J |
A different change in this chaste nymph ensued | D2 |
And turn'd to stone the breathing flesh and blood | E2 |
Whatever youth described his wounded heart | F2 |
'He came to rob her and she scorn'd his art | F2 |
And who of raptures once presumed to speak | G2 |
Told listening maids he thought them fond and weak | G2 |
But should a worthy man his hopes display | Z |
In few plain words and beg a yes or nay | Z |
He would deserve an answer just and plain | E |
Since adulation only moved disdain | E |
Sir if my friends object not come again ' | - |
Hence our grave Lover though he liked the | H2 |
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face | I2 |
Praised not a feature dwelt not on a grace | I2 |
But in the simplest terms declared his state | J2 |
'A widow'd man who wish'd a virtuous mate | J2 |
Who fear'd neglect and was compell'd to trust | K2 |
Dependants wasteful idle or unjust | K2 |
Or should they not the trusted stores destroy | L2 |
At best they could not help him to enjoy | L2 |
But with her person and her prudence bless'd | M2 |
His acts would prosper and his soul have rest | M2 |
Would she be his ' 'Why that was much to say | Z |
She would consider he awhile might stay | Z |
She liked his manners and believed his word | N2 |
He did not flatter flattery she abhorr'd | S |
It was her happy lot in peace to dwell | O2 |
Would change make better what was now so well | O2 |
But she would ponder ' 'This ' he said 'was | Z |
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kind ' | - |
And begg'd to know 'when she had fix'd her mind | B |
Romantic maidens would have scorn'd the air | R |
And the cool prudence of a mind so fair | R |
But well it pleased this wiser maid to find | B |
Her own mild virtues in her lover's mind | B |
His worldly wealth she sought and quickly grew | M |
Pleased with her search and happy in the view | M |
Of vessels freighted with abundant stores | Z |
Of rooms whose treasures press'd the groaning | P2 |
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floors | Z |
And he of clerks and servants could display | Z |
A little army on a public day | Z |
Was this a man like needy bard to speak | G2 |
Of balmy lip bright eye or rosy cheek | G2 |
The sum appointed for her widow'd state | J2 |
Fix'd by her friend excited no debate | J2 |
Then the kind lady gave her hand and heart | F2 |
And never finding never dealt with art | F2 |
In his engagements she had no concern | Q2 |
He taught her not nor had she wish to learn | Q2 |
On him in all occasions she relied | R2 |
His word her surety and his worth her pride | R2 |
When ship was launch'd and merchant Paul had | S2 |
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share | R |
A bounteous feast became the lady's care | R |
Who then her entry to the dinner made | J |
In costly raiment and with kind parade | J |
Call'd by this duty on a certain day | Z |
And robed to grace it in a rich array | Z |
Forth from her room with measured step she came | T2 |
Proud of th' event and stately look'd the dame | T2 |
The husband met her at his study door | P |
'This way my love one moment and no more | P |
A trifling business you will understand | U2 |
The law requires that you affix your hand | U2 |
But first attend and you shall learn the cause | Z |
Why forms like these have been prescribed by laws ' | - |
Then from his chair a man in black arose | Z |
And with much quickness hurried off his prose | Z |
That 'Ellen Paul the wife and so forth freed | V2 |
From all control her own the act and deed | V2 |
And forasmuch' said she 'I've no distrust | K2 |
For he that asks it is discreet and just | K2 |
Our friends are waiting where am I to sign | W2 |
There Now be ready when we meet to dine ' | - |
This said she hurried off in great delight | X2 |
The ship was launch'd and joyful was the night | X2 |
Now says the reader and in much disdain | E |
This serious Merchant was a rogue in grain | E |
A treacherous wretch an artful sober knave | V |
And ten times worse for manners cool and grave | V |
And she devoid of sense to set her hand | U2 |
To scoundrel deeds she could not understand | U2 |
Alas 'tis true and I in vain had tried | R2 |
To soften crime that cannot be denied | R2 |
And might have labour'd many a tedious verse | Z |
The latent cause of mischief to rehearse | Z |
Be it confess'd that long with troubled look | Y2 |
This Trader view'd a huge accompting book | Y2 |
His former marriage for a time delay'd | J |
The dreaded hour the present lent its aid | J |
But he too clearly saw the evil day | Z |
And put the terror by deceit away | Z |
Thus by connecting with his sorrows crime | C |
He gain'd a portion of uneasy time | C |
All this too late the injur'd Lady saw | Z |
What law had given again she gave to law | Z |
His guilt her folly these at once impress'd | M2 |
Their lasting feelings on her guileless breast | M2 |
'Shame I can bear ' she cried 'and want | Z2 |
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sustain | E |
But will not see this guilty wretch again ' | - |
For all was lost and he with many a tear | R |
Confess'd the fault she turning scorn'd to hear | A3 |
To legal claims he yielded all his worth | B3 |
But small the portion and the wrong'd were wroth | B3 |
Nor to their debtor would a part allow | C3 |
And where to live he know not knew not how | C3 |
The Wife a cottage found and thither went | D3 |
The suppliant man but she would not relent | D3 |
Thenceforth she utter'd with indignant tone | E3 |
'I feel the misery and will feel alone ' | - |
He would turn servant for her sake would keep | F3 |
The poorest school the very streets would sweep | F3 |
To show his love 'It was already shown | E3 |
And her a | H2 |
George Crabbe
(1)
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